Cheri Vause's Blog

[image error]

Writing beautiful sentences is worth the pursuit, and completely worth the discipline it takes to swallow your pride and dig into your subconscious mind to seek the perfect metaphor that will astound and draw intricate pictures of the world you’re creating. Poetic, haunting, rhythmic beats, are not always easy to deliver in this age of hurry-up, git-er-done, Ask Alexa rather than looking it up in an encyclopedia or dictionary, or just do research (Alexa has been proven to be false in her answers, which are based on the prejudices of who programs her).

And then there are those who prefer the abrupt short sentence, and reject what they call, purple prose. In fact, it’s been denigrated by those in the book field from agents to publishers to bloggers to fellow writers, and in every genre except literary. Let’s face it, there are just as many styles of writing as there are writers. The entire profession is subjective. That includes awards. Why does one person win over another with just as much talent, sometimes, more? Those who hand out awards have their tastes in reading, too. Here’s a sentence that is so beautiful it has made me tremble:

They rode on and the sun in the east flushed pale streaks of light and then a deeper run of color like blood seeping up in sudden reaches flaring planewise and where the earth drained up into the sky at the edge of creation the top of the sun rose out of nothing like the head of a great red phallus until it cleared the unseen rim and sat squat and pulsing and malevolent behind them. ~ Cormac McCarthy

[image error]

There is a difference between hackneyed prose (what “they” mean by purple) and beautiful prose. Would anyone say Byron or Tennyson or Yeats were hackneyed, or used purple prose? Or authors Donna Tartt or Cormac McCarthy or Vladimir Nabokov? And yet, if you put the same beautiful prose in say, a noir tale, or a crime drama, or a cozy mystery, you’re castigated by those who prefer being launched from one sentence to another in a quick progression. The old page-turner analogy is used as a hammer. Wouldn’t you prefer to read a sentence from Nabokov, rather than chop your way through a story just to get to the end quickly? I would, but I’m not you. I love to savor the words I read. And I read slowly.

And I still have other smothered memories, now unfolding themselves into limbless monsters of pain. ~ Vladimir Nabokov

[image error]In the big business of publishing, authors are expected to spit out, sometimes, four books a year. Usually it’s a two book minimum. I know it’s a business, but I can’t write that fast. I write, I cut, I edit, I write, I cut, I edit, and I write, all while watching that word count in the lower left-hand of my screen. Lately, I’m into short story writing, and I’ve found that the fewer the words the easier to get to the point, and, more likely, containing less beautiful prose. Even then, I try not to fall into the trap of short, screenplay like writing.

Irwin Shaw took years to write his books, the time spent doing a vast amount of research. I had the pleasure of meeting him one time at his son’s art gallery, and he bestowed on me a signed first edition of his book on Darwin, and a lovely compliment (I was thin, young, and cute way back then). I remember eagerly devouring Ray Bradbury’s books as each came out. I also had the pleasure of meeting him on my college campus after a lecture one year. He produced short stories and books in rapid fire. Every writer is on a different timetable and process, and yet we can become mired in getting the product out before it’s ready.

If we are to be writers whose books will remain long after we shuffle off this mortal coil, then we should take the time to do it right, no matter the genre. And yes, let’s put stunning prose into every one of them.

[image error]

AMAZON

 

[image error]

Freud was the master of finding a problem where none exists. But it is true that passion can turn on a dime. That includes writing. Every writer knows we have a love – hate relationship with our writing. It’s why everywhere you hear the phrase, “Write everyday.” Habits can overcome our passions, or lack of them, and get us through. We find comfort in our habits, but also find a way out because of them.

There are times when we become too self-critical. I didn’t think it possible for a very long time, but after reading some truly terrible books to review, I began to find myself falling into the trap, becoming hyper-critical of my own work. Whatever I wrote wasn’t good enough. And a paralysis of inadequacy took over. I didn’t write for quite a while. But what I found when I picked up a best-selling book and began to read, was that I was good enough. Yes, I’ve written truly awful stuff. But after a few rewrites, and a solid period of walking away to get a better perspective, I learned an important lesson: Nothing kills creativity more than a paralyzing fear of inadequacy.

There’s only one thing certain. That is one’s own inadequacy.

 ~ Franz Kafka

Kafka was the martyr of self-criticism. His constant frustration over the excruciatingly exacting bureaucrats of his day, helped him create his masterpieces. I’ve had my own issues with bureaucracies, so I understand. Dostoevsky called the attitude of a bureaucrat, “administrative rapture,” and Dr. Ben Carson said, “[they] love the process more than helping people.” But Kafka’s passion drove him to write some amazing stuff. I often imagine that if he lived today he would rail even louder about the bureaucracies, primarily because they’ve honed it to a dangerous point. Still, we can be our own dagger of disappointment and failure, and too often are.

Allow your passions to erupt, then come in days later and pluck that thread to its full potential of resonance, but don’t let it overtake the truth of what you’re writing. Anger can be a great source of creativity. So can pain. We all know love has created some of the greatest poetry ever written. But we need to make sense of our emotions or our readers won’t. Sobriety can also make bland copy — that is sobriety of emotions, not drink — and we learn that emoting can spice it up. Understand that hate informs love, pain helps us understand joy. Self-criticism should help us to work harder, to grow, not keep us from writing. It should help us understand that great writing takes discipline. Rewriting a hundred times might be extreme. Yet, rewriting doesn’t always make it better. I did that to a story and found what I originally wrote was better. Discipline teaches us to know the difference, that sometimes the 100th rewrite really is the best, and sometimes the first is.

We writers walk a tightrope. And if you write simply because you must, then don’t give up on yourself. Take that step to put yourself out there, and don’t criticize yourself into a box that resembles a coffin. Remember that even the best writers have written stinkers.

[image error]

On Sale Now!
Filed under: An Authors Thoughts

[image error]

Astound the new year with incomparable kindness and beauty!

Happy New Year to Y’all! Be good, be safe, and bring only those divine things that edify, uplift, and create joy for everyone around you!
Filed under: An Authors Thoughts

SHH! Is silence just not speaking? Or is silence the removal of something, as a sculptor removes rock to expose what is inside? Could it be standing still? Or complete inaction? Stilled body movements? This begs the question: What is silence? Maybe it isn’t just one thing. Perhaps it could be many things.

Paul Goodman wrote:

Not speaking and speaking are both human ways of being in the world, and there are kinds and grades of each. There is the dumb silence of slumber or apathy; the sober silence that goes with a solemn animal face; the fertile silence of awareness, pasturing the soul, whence emerge new thoughts; the alive silence of alert perception, ready to say, “This… this…”; the musical silence that accompanies absorbed activity; the silence of listening to another speak, catching the drift and helping him be clear; the noisy silence of resentment and self-recrimination, loud and subvocal speech but sullen to say it; baffled silence; the silence of peaceful accord with other persons or communion with the cosmos.

 

[image error]

When writing we must be aware of the different kinds of silence. Someone once said (And I wish I could remember who) that historians tell you what happened, but writers tell you how they felt. It’s our job to describe terrain and culture, but more importantly, we should describe feelings. If all we do is talk about body movements and action, we lose that special moment to stop and talk about the five senses, and sometimes that elusive sixth: prediction, reading the other person’s intentions. Silence is the perfect opportunity to juxtapose the silence of the room or the terrain with the busyness inside.

As we head into the noisy celebrations of the New Year, maybe it’s time to reflect on silence.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Filed under: An Authors Thoughts

[image error]

As each of us flies, drives, takes a train or bus to family gatherings, or staying put and entertaining family and friends, I wish y’all a glorious Christmas, and great joy!
Filed under: An Authors Thoughts

Merry Christmas, My Friend, was first published in Leatherneck in 1986 when the author, James M. Schmidt, a Lance Corporal stationed at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. wrote it. He intended the poem to be for his buddies in his barracks, by posting it on their doors. His superior officer saw it and submitted it to Leatherneck. The rest is history. Today, there’s a soldier and sailor version, but this is the original. God Bless Y’all!

[image error]

by, Lance Corporal, James M. Schmidt

Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,

In a one bedroom house made of plaster & stone.

I had come down the chimney, with presents to give

and to see just who in this home did live

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,

no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.

On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,

a sobering thought soon came to my mind.

For this house was different, unlike any I’d seen.

This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I’d heard stories about them, I had to see more,

so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.

And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,

Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,

Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.

Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?

Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.

I soon understood, this was more than a man.

For I realized the families that I saw that night,

owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,

And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,

because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,

on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.

Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.

I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,

“Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice

I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more.

My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,

I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.

I noticed he shivered from the cold night’s chill.

So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,

and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.

Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,

with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.

And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,

and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn’t want to leave him so quiet in the night,

this guardian of honor so willing to fight.

But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,

said “Carry on, Santa, it’s Christmas Day, all secure.”

One look at my watch and I knew he was right,

Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

Advertisements









Filed under: An Authors Thoughts

[image error]Recently, I heard of an author who put their editor through a word mill with a flurry of emails and argumentative assaults, grinding the poor soul into tiny pieces, nearly to the point that the editor began to wonder why they took on this particular author in the first place. It made me think through the delicate relationship between an editor and writer, and the unheralded art of editing. The colossal ego that communicates in such a controlling fashion may put so much pressure on their words they dull the fine point of their pen. What does that mean? I believe they fail to create that thin line of clarity, of defining well-written words from a sharp tip that makes each word they write so clear they each stand out and sing. Why do I know this? Anyone who fights with their editor over a few words, without presenting their case calmly and with a sweet disposition, doesn’t deserve to be a writer.

Few authors can write something so perfect that there are no typos, no spelling errors, or grammatical oddities in their manuscripts, even with the frequent use of the spell checker. John Fowles notwithstanding (the only writer, I suspect, in history to turn in a draft that was perfect), there are many things that can go wrong with a book, both fiction and non-fiction, that a professional editor can help a writer correct. The errors can be everything from subtle to glaring that you may be too blind to see, making a potential masterpiece not so masterful.

The relationship between an editor and writer is a crucial one. A good editor can get into the depths of a story, to dig into the minds of the characters, and even crawl inside the writer’s head understanding what the author intended, making a home there if the writer graciously allows them in. They can tell the writer what is working, what makes the reader stop reading, what is annoying, what will make it better, etcetera. That part of editing can make or break a book and the future of a new author in the writing game.

.



.

Presently, I’m a writer at a small press and I work with a professional editor, who thankfully points out or corrects those kinds of things, saving me from pulling out my hair, and preventing me from being publicly humiliated. I check my ego into a locker and allow her to do her job. She draws my attention to areas where I may need to write more, and, sometimes, to write less.

Yes. Excising my remarkable prose may be painful, but necessary, which does make me wonder whether it’s not quite as wonderful as I believe it is. Truth is the hardest thing to take. Then I remember, I did check that ego. That snarky thing is behind a locked door, and I refuse to let it out to play. Phew! My editor can even say that a character wouldn’t do certain things, and if my mystery failed to explain certain points to help the reader keep up with the story, or whether it works at all. She admonishes me to dig deeper and solve the problem, massage those words until they squeak. She’s had me write more chapters to get it right, and take ones out that don’t add to the story.



I don’t want to know what it would be like to not have a good editor at my side. They are my conscience, keeping me true to the story and my characters. I listen to their opinion as much as I listen to my husband’s; which is a great deal. Because of their honesty, I find I need to listen to their advice, taking it seriously, understanding that they want me to be successful and will do whatever it takes to get me there. Do we disagree? Sometimes, and it’s usually resolved quickly. On those occasions we discuss it and find our way through it with a great deal of humor. And then, there are those times when that disagreement becomes a wedge between us. However, I remain open, willing to take their advice, and they are usually willing to listen to my explanations. But once, I couldn’t continue with the book. We had to separate and I pulled the book. How they envisioned it was not the way I had. Suffice it to say, you will not always agree on everything, and there might come a day when you have to say goodbye. Searching for someone new is difficult, but not impossible. Still, I know I grew as a writer in that relationship, and look forward to a future relationship that I will benefit from.

I read once about a famous author saying that the one person who mattered to them in the business of writing books was their editor. They couldn’t stop singing their praises, feeling that without them they wouldn’t be able to produce a salable book. I’m there. I’m so there. I realize that I can let my ego out to play when I receive good reviews, but mostly because I let my editor help me and didn’t let my ego rule when it counted. But neither can you allow an editor to take over your book and shape into theirs. It’s your vision, and they should always be there to help, and not bully you into publishing something completely different from your original artistic endeavor.

.



Ladies and Gentlemen, do not forget that you are not always the best arbiter of your work. After you’ve won a Pulitzer Prize, maybe you can be, but not today. When I receive a rejection, I usually take a jaundiced eyeview of my work, and try to find out why it was rejected. You also must take into account every agent, editor, publisher, award committee, and slush pile reader have their own likes and dislikes. Everything is subjective in the Book Publishing industry. I’ve had judges who loved my work, and wanted to read anything I would write. And yet, I’ve had others who didn’t. Keep in mind that if you’re rejected, it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad writer. On the contrary, remember all the great writers who were rejected over and over and over, when someone finally took a chance on them and they went on to become bestselling authors. Frank Herbert’s, Dune was first published by Chilton, the publishing house who usually put out auto repair books. Imagine that! Dune was rejected by everyone, and is the most famous Science Fiction masterpiece ever written! And Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert, took up the franchise and has become a success on his own.

So, don’t give up. Find yourself an editor who gets you. Submit, submit, submit! But also read, read, read! It’s how you grow, too.

[image error]

I did finally come to the conclusion, after slogging through the story without being pricked by all the exclamation points, that this writer was taken to the cleaners by her so-called editor. Yes, the grammar was correct. So, was the punctuation and the spelling, even with all the exclamation points. But, a good editor is more than that. If she had hired a professional, the editor would have told her to go back and rewrite it, to dig into the heart of the story and pull out the meaning, then submit it. I can only assume that the author believed her work only needed to be checked for those particular things, and paid the minimum to achieve the state it was in, and the unprofessional hack complied because they wanted the money.

 Once again, I wish to warn all you self-published writers out there to have an editor do more than check for grammar and punctuation. Every book requires more than the minimum to sell, to be successful, to make a reader want to recommend the book to a friend or family member, and to return to buy the next one, if the author makes it that far. So much for self-publishing, and self-appointed editors trolling for the selfies business.

Don’t forget that authors and editors go hand in hand. They belong together, and are an intricate part of the book selling business, of your book selling efforts. Authors don’t stand alone. Without editors we would have excessive exclamation points and stories that fall on their faces, breaking their wee noses into bloody messes, and humiliated in front of the world. Editors are God’s gift to us writers, and I say a prayer that they never go away. So, check that ego, hire a professional, and take their recommendations seriously. You might just write that next masterpiece.

Order your copy today: http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Nothing-But-Lies/dp/0992883601

[image error] Thrilling Mystery

 

 

 

 

Filed under: An Authors Thoughts Tagged: #Amazon, #AmazonCart, #Author of Literary Mysteries, #authorcherivause, #booklist, #cherivause, #Fridayreads, #indiebooksbeseen, #KindleSelect, #KindleUnlimited, #Mystery, #Mystery/Thriller, #noirmystery, #psychologicalmystery, #psychologicalthriller, #readinglist, #Romantic Thriller, #romanticmystery, #seriouswriter, #sisterincrime, #TheTruthandNothingbutLies, #Thriller, #WeNeedDiverseBooks, #womenmysterywriters, #writing, #writing tips, All About Books

[image error]

Artist is Kubin – an illustration of man versus his Saurian Tail

Carl Jung didn’t invent archetypes. They’ve been around since the Greeks wrote tales of heroes and gods and villains. But Jung brought another dimension to the idea: the psychological. As an author I’ve never intentionally sought to do a particular archetype, just the idea behind the Shadow and The Hero Archetypes. It’s why I named my series with shadow in the titles. The first book, The Night Shadow, employs the ballet of the same name, and the idea of the killer-stalker in the night. It’s also why I put the first case my Private Investigators conduct is staking out a Peeping Tom’s territory. He’s also the shadow in the night.

“Taken in its deepest sense, the shadow is the invisible saurian tail that man still drags behind him. Carefully amputated, it becomes the healing serpent of the mysteries.” Carl Jung in The Integration of the Personality (English translation).

The Shadow Archetype:

Composes both negative and positive elements of our personalities. The shadow of the personality is that which we do not integrate into ourselves. We may feel shame or be a source of great anxiety. But it can also be traits that the personality views as positive, yet should not be acknowledged because it doesn’t fit in with the narrative the personality wants to be. That might be a person who is truly empathetic but wants to appear to be tough. Individuation will not occur if they don’t integrate all the aspects of their true nature and deal with the negative ones to not let them take over.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is a perfect example of the Shadow archetype unincorporated into the personae. Hyde is the larvated portion of Jekyll’s personality. But Jekyll is not all good. In fact, he’s icy cold, has few friends, and has no relationships with women. He’s isolated, rigid, unwilling to accept his bad characteristics and overcome them. He allows the Hyde personality to burst forth, take over, flooding his entire personae with the parasitic evil of Hyde. Jekyll is the unacknowledged Hyde. That vile character hides behind the mask of a rigid and cold structure Jekyll uses publicly.

The Hero Archetype:

The foremost of the Jungian archetypes is the hero. He overcomes all obstacles, all difficulties thrown at him in order to realize his destiny. He is the quintessential role-model, urging all of us to pursue our quest. It is said that the hero myth is the ultimate formula of self-realization, and is the nexus of Jung’s myths.

The above two are Jung’s foremost archetypes. The following are of lesser importance on the scale.

Wise Old Man A rchetype or Wizard or Sage :

There are many examples of Wise Old Men. Some of us have them in our families and know them well. They are quiet, thoughtful, and offer gentle guidance to the younger members of the family. Sometimes they are prophetic, seeing into the future.

Literary archetypes are plentiful, including Miyagi of The Karate Kid, or Gandalf in J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings.

Great Mother Archetype:

The Great Mother archetype personifies the idealized personality traits of the mother figure. Caring, compassionate, and absolutely dependable, and always loving. Much like the Wise Old Man, she offers guidance and wisdom when asked. The Maiden Archetype is the Great Mother‘s counterpart.

Literary archetypes are Glenda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, and the Fairy Godmother in fairytales.

The Self Archetype:

This represents the striving of every personality.

The Personae Archetype:

This is the mask we all wear, the pretense we use to hide our true selves.

The God Archetype:

This archetype is the perfect image of the Self.

Child Archetype:

The Child Archetype represents the milestones in a person’s life, the individuation process, the future potential. We see the budding possibilities of maturation.

Literary constructs in this are both dark and light. Everything from Damian in The Omen, to Linus Van Pelt in Peanuts.

Trickster or Clown Archetype:

He always seems to have a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge, and plays tricks ignoring or disobeying rules and convention. He acts as a catalyst, exaggerating or forcing the hero into recognizing his character’s flaws, or creating discomfort for others with his comedy, but he never seems to experience any pain himself.

Folklore and Literary examples are rife with everything from the coyote, to rabbits, and crows. Bugs Bunny is the quintessential trickster.

Anima/Animus Archetype:

The anima (in males) or animus (in females) is the opposing gender to one’s self. Men repress their feminine side, such as empathy, and a female represses their male side, such as forcefulness. By uniting oneself, you once more become the true person you are. Anything else is an unrealistic idealized impression of what constitutes being a male or female.

Literary examples might be Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pride and Prejudice. Because Elizabeth Bennet causes Mr. Darcy to think about how distasteful his prideful behavior is to others, Mr. Darcy does some soul searching and recognizes that aspect of his personae. Although he defends himself eloquently in a letter to Elizabeth, he also realizes the harm he has done to his friend, Charles Bingley, by casting doubt on the man’s love for Elizabeth’s sister, Jane. Mr. Darcy makes a selfless and sympathetic move by insuring the wicked Mr. Wickham marries the wayward Lydia Bennet to make an honest woman of her, and renounces his jaded opinion about Jane Bennet, encouraging the marriage. He is the perfect example of masculinity merging the softer aspects into his personae.

The hermaphrodite, represents the amalgam of opposites.
The beast, represents the primitive past of man.
The scapegoat, is the quintessential character who suffers the sins of others.
The fool, is the character who is confused and constantly travels in the wrong direction.
The artist, is typically the visionary, and represents inspiration, and unique ways of finding the truth.

What archetype are your characters?

 

Filed under: An Authors Thoughts

[image error]Synaesthesia seems to everyone to be weird. But I got to thinking about it, and wondered if it really is. For those of you who don’t know what it is, I’ll explain it this way: The mixing of senses. You can hear the food you taste, see the colours of music, taste it, and feel sound. This strange gift, discovered over 100 years ago, was determined to be neural in basis. And, nothing has changed, until recently with the advent of the MRI.

Here’s the science: Those who have an auditory response to a visual stimuli may be telling researchers it has nothing to do with a neural basis, raising fundamental questions about how the brain integrates information from multiple senses. What it suggests is there exists a cross activation of the senses across the cortical regions of the brain. Numerous brain areas are well-known to be involved in audio-visual integration, and has included regions of the parietal cortex and the superior temporal sulcus. In a recent magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, audio-visual stimuli increased the activity of the superior temporal sulcus, showing that there were multi-sensory interactions. In short, the mixing of senses more…

Filed under: An Authors Thoughts

[image error]

Imagine a doctor has entered your mind while you’re dreaming, and you’re making difficult decisions, but with a lucidity that you haven’t achieved while awake. You’re thinking this is a great idea for a novel or film, but it doesn’t happen in reality. Well, you’d be wrong. While science is closing in on a better understanding of our brain connections in dreaming, they have leaped forward in communicating with “lucid dreamers“. Yup. That’s what I said. Communicate with someone while dreaming. Lucid dreaming, the idea depicted in the film Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is regarded as a “hybrid state of waking consciousness and sleep“. It is suggested that decisions can be made during this type of sleep, but not so with planning. That uses a different part of the brain, and is very detailed which requires one to be awake. But decisions that are straight up choices can be influenced during this type of sleep. That is precisely what the film Inception is about: influencing a man to make a different decision, and he believing it was not only his idea but the right thing to do. more

Filed under: An Authors Thoughts